Process of preserving citrus fruit juices



Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED STATES VAMAN B. KOKATNUIR, OF 'NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS O]? PRESERVING CITRUSFRUIT JUICES.

l o Drawing.

This invention relates to the preservation of citrous fruit juices such, for example, as orange juice, grape fruit juice, tangerine juice, lemon juice, and in its preferred practice is intended for use more particularly in the preservation of citrous fruit juices for employment as nonalcoholic beverages and in the preparation of nonalcoholic fruit beverages.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a process for preserving citrous fruit juices in such a manner that the juices will remain in their natural condition and preserve their natural flavor, vitamines, and aroma over long periods of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide a process for preserving citrous fruit juices wherein the preservative employed forms a normal part of the skin of the fruit whereb the preserved product is free from any ad ed deleterious ingredient.

A further object of this invention is to provide a process of preserving citrous fruit juices by means of an aqueous or citrous juice extract obtained from the skins of the fruit from which the juice'has been ex ressed and a subsequent pasteurization of t e juice at such temperature that the flavor, appearance and aroma of the fruit juices will not be affected or impaired by the heat of pasteurization.

Other objects and advantages of this process will become apparent during the course of the following description.

35 Numerous efforts have been made to preserve citrous fruit juices in their natural condition but, so far as I am aware, 'no process heretofore has been sug ested or em-- ployed which will preserve t e fruit juices w1t out deleteriously affecting such juices either in taste, odor or appearance. For example, inorder to preserve the juice of citrous fruits it has been pro osed to pasteurize such juice at an elevate temperature but such a method is attended with the disadvantage that such pasteurization modifies the color of the juice and alters its flavor with the result that the juice after such treatment does not possess the desirable characteristics proposed to preserve citrous fruit juices with chemical preservatives but this method has of fresh citrous fruit juice. It also has been Application filed January 14, 1927. Serial No. 161,243.

the disadvantage that the chemical preservatives employed modify the flavor of the juices and the product can not be marketed as natural fresh fruit juice. Another method of preserving citrous fruit juices proposed has contemplated the breaking down of proteid substances suspended in the fruit juices by means of the action of a proteolytic enzyme followed by the pasteurization of the thus treated juice at an elevated temperature. It will be readily apparent however that this method changes the constitution of the fruit juice in such a manner that the treated juice does not possess the characteristics of natural fresh fruit juice.

The principal purpose of this invention is to overcome the above enumerated disadvantages by providing a process which will preserve citrous fruit juice for a long period in its natural fresh condition. It is obvious that such a method opens up a new commercial field by permitting citrous fruit growers to express the juice from the fruit at the place at which the fruit is grown and to bottle or otherwise package such juice at such place for shipping to remote points. Such procedure is more economical and efficient than the present practice of crating" and shipping the fruit in refrigerator cars and subsequently expressing the juice from the fruit at the point at which it is to be consumed. Moreover my process makes commercially possible the use of fresh fruit juices in soft drinks and beverages since the fermentation or deterioration of such beverages from the presence of inefficiently-or incompletely preserved citrous fruit juices, as is the case with beverages containing such juices preserved by methods heretofore employed, is avoided.

In the preferred'practice of my process I express the juice from citrous fruits, such as oranges, by any suitable means. I then grind' in any suitable grinder, such, for example, as an ordinary meat grinder, one quarter of the skins remaining after the expressing of the juice and to the mass of ground skins I add water in the preferred proportion of onehalf pint of water to each two whole skins employed. Instead of water, I may 'add the extracted juice to the mass of ground skins in M similar proportions. This mixture is allowed to s nd e an ordinar atmospheric temperature for-approximately fifteen-mire utes and is preferably stirred during such is then added to the period, after which the liquid is filtered from the residue, Such liquid extract of the skins reviously expressed fruit juice in the pre erred proportion of from one to three teaspoonfuls of the exf tract to approximately seven ounces of the juice. If an amount of the aqueous extract of the skins materially in excess of that indicated above is added to the juice such juice after the subsequent heat treatment will have a somewhat bitter flavor and if materially less than such amount is employed the final product will not be perfectly preserved. The

extract should beadde'd in such proportion v the juice before pasteurization. Thus to preserve the juice of 100 oranges, the extract of from 'to orange sln'ns in about ounces of water or preferably in the juice itself is added before pasteurization. If the amount of extract added is above per cent the juice tastes distinctly bitterand hence it is ad- 55? C. and preferably at about C. for

' cessiveheat. After thepasteurization is comvisable not to exceed "this limit. The thus treated juice is then placed in containers and pasteurized at a' temperature of from 45 to approximately two and one-half hours. This period may be varied according to the nature and source of the juice un r treatment. However, temperature of asteurization indicated above should not e materially ex ceeded since the appearance and taste of the product will be deleteriously afiected by'explete the containers are sealed and the juice -is then in condition for shipment or sale and in such condition the juice will preserve its natural'characteristics of appearance, flavor,

and aroma for long periods of time.

l I have provided a nomlcal process of preserving citrous fruit.

I have, also discovered that citrous fruit juices treated in the manner described above will retain their natural characteristics for reasonable periods even-whene'xposed tothe am This is an \important advantage of. my

process since, as is well known, .untreated' citrous fruit juices readilytferinent and acdplnre an offensive odor and taste in a very s ort time if exposed to the air. I

Fromthe foregoing it will be apparent that simple, efficient and ecojuices in theirnatural fresh .condition so that time without deterioration. Q

.such juices may be ship (1 for'great distances or kept for consi erableperiods of By the ternrgextraneous preservative is meant any p from citrous rvative not wholly derived a a a the juice expressed 1n approximately the pro- While I have described indetail the pree ferred practice of my process it is'to be understood that the details of procedure and the ing a relatively small proportion of an extract ofthe skin of citrous fruit with the juice 'ofsaid fruit, but without addition of any extraneous preservative, and pasteurizingthe thus treated juice at a relatively low pasteurizing temperature.

2. The herein described process of preserving citrous fruit "juices which comprises-mixing an extract of the skin of citrous fruit, but without addition of any extraneous preservative, with the juice of said fruit and pasteurizing the thus treated juice at a temperature of from 45 to 55 C.

3. The herein described process of preserving citrous fruit juices whlch comprises mixing an aqueous extract of the skin of citrous fruit with the juice of said fruit, but without addition of any extraneous preservative,

the thus treated juice at a tem- J and heating perature o "from t5 to 55 C. forfat least two and one-half hours.

4. The herein described process of preserv ing orange juice which comprises express- 111 13118 juice of oranges, grindin a portion on y of the skins remalmng, ad ing water to the ground skins, filtering the aqueous sus pension of the ground skins, adding a small amount of the extract to the juice expressed but without addition of any extraneouspreservative, and pasteurizing-the' thus treated juice at from 45 to 55 C. I e I '5. The herein described process of preserving orange juice which comprises expressing the juicefrom oranges, grinding a portion only ofthe skins remaimng," adding water to the ground skins in the proportion of approximately one-half-pint of water to each two Whole-skins employed, filtering the a neous suspension of the ground skins, ad ng the filtered extract to the juice expressed, but without addition of any extraneous preservative, in approximately the proportion of about 5 per centyby volume, and pasteurizing the thus treated juice at a temperature of from 45 to 55 C.

1y one-fourth of t e skins remaimng, addiing water to the ground skins, shown the mixture to'stand at ordinary atmosp eric.

.120 6. The herein described process of preserving orangejuice which comprlses expressmgthe juice of orange gr nding approxlmatemiaoea '3 portion of about 5 per cent by volume, and of the said fruit with the juice, lint without heating the thus treated juicexat aternpera addition of an extraneous preservative, and ture of approximately 50 C. for approxipasteurizing t e thus treated juice at a tem- 1o mately. two and one-half hours. perature not substantially above 55 Cr 7Q The process of preserving citrous fruit In testimony whereof l afiix my'signature.

juices wh1ch comprises mixing a relatively l a small proportion of an extract of the skin v VAMAN KOKATNUR. 

